Glam5 is a beauty salon in The Palms in Woodstock, positioned as the first Beauty Emporium in Cape Town. It offers a full suite of beauty services including hair, nails, makeup, eyelashes and facials, with a unique spin of a monthly membership or “Ladies Club” that allows women to pamper themselves regularly at an affordable rate. The Glam5 brand has a focus on glamour, luxury and comfort. Haldane Martin was commissioned to design an interior for Glam5 that embodies this image, and which fulfils the business’s functional necessities of a beauty salon with telesales and a members’ club. It also houses a photographic studio to reinforce this image and to further inspire women to enhance their inner and outer beauty.

To visually capture the essence of beauty, glamour and prestige, the underlying style of Haldane Martin’s interior for Glam5 is cutting-edge classic contemporary. A plush, deep-buttoned reception desk upholstered in coral fabric welcomes club members into the emporium, a visual metaphor for the indulgence of pampering in a luxurious and comfortable environment. The striking colour palette unifies the space. Graphic black and white floral wallpaper and geometric patterned tiles contrasts with coral upholstery, feature wall and centrepiece string installation. To create this innovative centrepiece, strings were hung from the roof and niche archways cut into the string with scissors by hand – much like a haircut. The coral string is highlighted with lighting recessed into the bulkhead. The main salon space is ordered symmetrically, with nail stations on the left, hair styling on the right and hair washing basins at the end.

The visual symmetry is reinforced by the horizontal lines on the floor, whose reflective finish gives the space a sophisticated sheen, while adding to the sense of volume of the room. Faux design classics accent each station. Tulip chairs and Componibili round storage cupboards intersperse individual full-length mirrors casually leaning against the right-hand wall. Coral string installations frame each hair-cutting station: soft, feminine and fringe-like, while the high-gloss floor’s sharp triangular pattern evokes images of stiletto heels and manicured fingernails. Along the left, sets of Piña chairs run adjacent to the black and white floral wall, providing a comfortable seating area with a view for nail artists and clients. A final feature is a circular mirror surrounded with mini LED lights embedded into a makeup table – a touch of Hollywood to round off the sense of glamour.

Design: Haldane Martin